Friday, May 22, 2009

friday five and beastly boys.

This morning, I'm eating peanut butter M&M's for breakfast and watching Today. I have a thing for the Today show. I like the pacing. I like the stories. I think their movie critic (Gene - he has a big mustache and puffy hair) is adorable. I don't watch it very often now, but I remain a fan. Matt, Meredith, and Al make me happy. They're all smart, funny, and articulate and in a far better mood than I will ever be at 8 AM. Here are five other thoughts jumbling around in my mind on this gorgeous morning:

1. I read a great book this week called Beastly, a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. After I finished it, I felt like I'd walked out of a really smart, funny, chick flick. The book is designed to be fun, a page turner, a modern fairy-tale. And yet! There actually is a really sweet message tangled in the book (not preachy, just timely and appropriate). Not only does Beastly have a good message, but the story surprised me. When I started reading it, I thought there was no way the author could redeem such a loser of a character. Kyle is a jerk, not just an arrogant don't-care-who-you-are jerk but a really mean, vile (good looking) jerk. The story is told from his perspective. I couldn't believe I was rooting for him in the end. I also like how classic stories play into the book. Kyle finds a connection to the Phantom of the Opera, Quasimodo, Rochester, all the beastly boys of classic lit :) I like how smart and funny (and uniquely pretty) the girl in the story is too. Beastly was lovely. If you like the story of Beauty and the Beast (which I do ...), you must check this one out. My only problem is this: the girl in the story has red hair (yay!) and freckles (yay!). The girl playing her in the movie, which comes out next year, does not have red hair or freckles. She looks more like a model than Lindy, the girl in the book, is supposed to look. Lindy is pretty in a different way; that's an important part of the story. Boo, Hollywood.

2. Have you seen the Adam Lambert interview just after he finished the last show? It was fabulous. Reporters kept digging for some nugget of info suggesting he and Kris A. were big competitors. They weren't. They were genuinely happy for each other. They both seem like very kind guys. Adam was psyched when Kris won and it's obvious Kris loves to hear Adam sing. Adam said something about how, even though they were different, and came from different backgrounds, they were great friends and found a connection through music. I love that. I wish more people could focus on what they have in common instead of getting irate over their differences. I'm glad Kris won, btw. He seems like a sweetie too and I hope he gets to enjoy it. I thought it was sad when he immediately said, "Adam should have won." Not true, Kris. You did a great job. Enjoy making your album, and staring at your fancy trophy (?), and eating your free cheese dip for life (!). (For life!) Adam might have a slight edge in the winner category since he didn't have to sing that awful song they came up with for the winner though. Also loved: Queen. (How much do you think Queen would love it if Adam L. decided to tour with them?) I went to London for a month during college to take a Shakespeare class. While there, I heard Brian May play "God Save the Queen" from the top of Buckingham Palace:

Note I said, "heard". I was there but I was with the rest of the peasants in the park adjacent to the palace :) BMay wasn't on the part of the roof I could see. Everything I saw, I saw on the special jumbo screen. They claim it was happening just over the lawn but they could be making it up for all I know. That concert ended with Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton singing "Hey Jude". There were millions of people there and we were all singing it together. There were fireworks and lights and Union Jacks waving in the air. It way too much awesomeness for one night. I remember thinking - if a cute British guy kissed me right now, this would be like an awesome end to a movie. And just as I thought it this guy staggered toward me, spilled his drink, and passed out. Close enough, right?

3. Went to a furniture store this week. I was looking at bedroom furniture when a sales associate came up to me and said.

"Do you have a gun?"

I panic. "Excuse me?"

"Do you own a gun?"

"No."

"Oh," she points to the nightstand, "that has a hidden drawer for a gun."

Ironically, at a different furniture store I was in last week, there is a large sign taped to the window that says, "no firearms allowed". Just observations.

4. Fall Out Boy is singing on the Today Show. I think the lead singer might be wearing my glasses ...

5. I'll post my Cade's Cove pictures next week. There were several bloggy aspects of that adventure. For now, I wanted to mention how unbelievably gorgeous it was. Always is. I love mountains so much. They sky was a pretty silver color and fog was lifting out of the mountains. Here's a teaser:

15 comments:

Peanut Butter M&Ms = good choiceConway has been going crazy with Kris Allen winning - it's ridiculous! And let me just say that Stoby's cheese dip is my favorite ever and I am so jealous of his lifetime supply.

And I am going to have to check out Beastly, too: Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favorite fairy tale :)

I need to read Beastly. All I've heard about it is that Vannesa Hudgens is in it. Is she Lindy?Hehe about the furniture store.And I'm still on a high from Kris winning. What is this? Two years in a row that my pick wins! So happy. But I think I need to stop talking about it before people's ears start to fall off;)

I too love Gene Shallet. Not much as I loved Joel Siegel (RIP). But Meredith? Meh. Not so much. Will always love Matt. But I have to turn it when Willard Scott comes on. They make fun of him on Soup and it hurts my weather-man lovin' heart.

I was just reading your older post, (cause I just started reading yours, and I love it!!) and it said you are 4'11. So am I!!! lol Just wanted to share that. :) Also I know have to read that Beastly book. It sounds awesome.

That reminds me of when they did the tv movie version of A Wrinkle In Time and they cast Gregory Smith as Calvin O'Keefe... there were lots ot hings about the movie that were inaccurate from the book, but that one really made me mad. Calvin is supposed to have red hair! I was also mad that they took out Calvin and Meg's kiss. I guess I will never understand Hollywood's reasoning. :)

Ruth, I'm fairly certain you will like Beastly. It's one of the better modernizations I've read. Let me know what you think of it!

Sam, is Stoby's only a Conway thing? I need to try this mysteriously awesome cheese dip.

Sarah, I'm pretty sure Hudgens is Lindy :( I'm sure she'll do fine, but I was kind of bummed they didn't go for more authentic on that bit. Boo Hollywood! (Congrats Kris Allen!)

Jenny, do you sort of think Matt is attractive? Because I think he's quite good looking. Is that odd? Should I be crushing on a news guy? :) Also, my favorite part of the Soup is when they talk about Spenser's flesh colored beard.

Anon, so glad you came by! :)Yay for space efficient people the world over!

Abby, I'm so with you. I'm really not a stickler who thinks every thing in a book needs to be duplicated in the movie. But how hard is it to find an actor with red hair? Yar! :) I never watched the Wrinkle movie because I heard it wasn't so good. I thought it would make me too sad. Would you recommend it?

Lame on replacing redheads. I secretly like Vanessa Hudgens, but come on, people. Seriously. Don't you realize that there's a reason Anne Shirley is awesome? And me, for that matter? Heck, I'd do that movie in a heartbeat. And I'm not exactly movie material, but I'm sure I could act as well as Vanessa Hudgens.

Kris Allen gets free cheese dip for life? I'm so trying out for AI next season.

Stoby's is a Conway (and Russellville, AR) thing, but at one time, you could get it in the chip aisle at Wal-Mart. I don't think you still can. And yes, Matt is cute!!! I'm loving him in the new Will Ferrell movie previews.

The first time I watched it I was so upset about Calvin not having red hair that I kind of rejected the whole thing. :) Now I think I want to watch it one more time just to see how Disney changed it. It might be worth seeing once or twice to see how particular people envisioned L'Engle's world with Meg. The portrayals of the three Mrs. W.'s was definitely different, but I liked the portrayal of the Man with Red Eyes and IT. I think L'Engle said it best herself in the quote at the very beginning of this interview: http://www.newsweek.com/id/105017. I'm not sure if that helps or not, but thinking about it makes me want to watch it again so I can have a definite opinion! :)

Natalie - There is a Stoby's in another town about 45 minutes from Conway, but that's it... and you can buy the cheese dip in Wal*marts throughout Arkansas. So if you ever make a visit to this great state, you could look for it there :)

Abby, I'm going to have to rent it now. I think interpreting a world that bizarre (gorgeous but bizarre) would be difficult for anybody. It will be cool to see what they do with it. I think my favorite part of the whole book is the beginning when one of the W's flings open the door and says, "Wild nights are my glory!". Gah! Love! :) Thanks for linking that interview! I love reading about her. She was such a fascinating lady.

Sam, I've only driven through Arkansas a few times en route to Texas. If I'm ever there again, you better believe I will be tracking down some Stoby's. :)

I loved Beastly. It's hard to find good books these days but this was such a good one! Don't you love that feeling when you open a book and just KNOW it's going to be a good one...or when you first look up and realize two/three hours have passed :)

I write. I walk my dog. I wear cowboy boots. I haven't managed to do all three at the same time. Yet. But it could happen! My first novel, A SNICKER OF MAGIC, will be published by Scholastic in 2014. Quirk is highly appreciated here. I hope you'll stick around and say hey :)